


Little Bug

by star_crossing



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26489101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_crossing/pseuds/star_crossing
Summary: A collection of short stories about Wild remembering his sister. Inspired by the weekly prompts in the Linked Universe Discord server.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	1. Subconscious Grief

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this week's prompt (9/15/2020), which suggested writing a "True Drabble" (100 words- no more, no less!)

The first moment Wild remembers his family, he does not initially realize it is a memory.  
  
It comes to him in the form of a dream - a fleeting moment of bright blue eyes that mirror his own; distant maniacal laughter; a man’s voice shouting for him to run - before he jolts awake and the overwhelming familiarity of it immediately escapes him.  
  
Zelda is at his side in an instant, ready and waiting for him to open his heart, but he cannot even begin to think how to talk about it.  
  
How does one grieve a face they do not recognize?


	2. Found Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written based on this week's (9/23) prompt "Ohana Means Family"  
> This turned out longer than I intended, but I genuinely enjoyed writing it! Have some Wild/Aryll bonding fluff, y'all.

The ocean waves rolled over the sands of Outset Island as the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, cooling the air for the approaching night time. 

The sand was littered with indents of footprints - some from many hours ago, some more fresh. One set of footprints created a path down the beach to the edge of the island, where the homes of the locals had become distant. This far away, the bustle of the village had faded to mere white noise. 

Wild stood peering out at the endless ocean, having long since removed his boots with the ankles of his trousers rolled up past his knees. He remained still, allowing the cold waves to crash against his bare skin. He watched as a flock of seagulls flew through the sky, squawking at each other as they went, flapping along as though they had no cares in the world.

The echo of footsteps carried across the sand, causing Wild’s ears to perk up. He turned in the direction of the sound, shoulders tense from being somewhat startled out of his train of thought. He was expecting that perhaps the others had grown worried and decided to come look for him; that perhaps Twilight, as concerned for Wild’s well being as he always was, had set out to bring him back to the house; or perhaps Wind had come to announce that his grandmother had made dinner and no one would eat unless everyone was there.

To Wild’s surprise, these footsteps did not belong to any of the boys.

Aryll was eyeing him curiously, standing about ten feet away and uphill of the tides, presumably so the bottom of her dress wouldn’t get wet. She swayed from side to side with her hands behind her back, as if she were waiting for him to speak.

He wasn’t sure what to say.

“You okay?” she asked, her eyes bright with interest.

Wild tried to respond, but any possible formation of words got stuck in his throat.

“My brother said you were going for a walk,” she continued, “but you’ve been gone a while, so I wanted to come and make sure you weren’t lost."

Wild couldn’t help but smile.

When he had first met Wind’s sister, she had seemed apprehensive, uncertain of how to interact with these eight alleged heroes her brother had been traveling with. However, she had always shown kindness toward them all, regardless of her hesitation.

She was only thirteen now, but it was clear she had grown into a strong young lady, courtesy of multiple years venturing out on the seas with her brother and their found family of pirates. Despite her hardened exterior, her kind spirit had never changed.

“I’m sorry if I worried you,” he said softly, just loud enough she could hear him.

Aryll frowned. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said flatly.

Wild’s smile faltered. He was slightly taken aback by her bluntness, but he knew she was right.

Aryll cocked her head to one side. “Are you okay?” she asked, more kindly this time.

Wild said nothing, still failing to find the right words to express his train of thought.

A sudden gust of wind zipped through his hair, causing his bangs to fall in his eyes. He let out a huff through his nose and pushed them aside to return his focus to Aryll. To his surprise, he saw her approaching him.

She slowly trod over the sand toward him, her hands still behind her back, until she stopped a few feet away from him. She stood at the edge of the tides, the water just grazing her bare feet, as she looked him straight in the eye.

Once again, he was uncertain of what to say.

Her face was unreadable, her big eyes peering up at him. Despite her significantly shorter stature, she seemed to be practically staring him down.

Wild watched with confusion as he saw her bend down to sit in the sand without another word.

The tide splashed up to her ankles as she stretched her legs out in front of her. She shifted her weight, as if to make herself comfortable, before returning her gaze to him. 

This time, she looked at him expectantly. When he didn’t take the hint, she patted the sand beside her.

Wild hesitated. Despite having visited Outset many times since the group’s initial journey three years ago, Wild had never actually sat down and talked with the young girl; he still felt as though he barely knew her at all.

Regardless, he obliged, joining her at the tide’s edge and making himself comfortable - or, as comfortable as he could, considering the sand threatening to get caught in his trousers. He did his best to ignore the thought, pushing himself to continue his reveling in the warm hues of the setting sun.

Aryll, on the other hand, had not quit her staring as he sat down. “So?”

Wild turned to her with a raised brow, having momentarily forgotten what she had previously asked.

“Are you okay?” She asked one last time, refusing to take his silence as an answer.

He inhaled deeply though his nose, considering his options, before exhaling a resigned sigh. “Yes,” he replied.

His answer was clearly less than satisfactory for her, but she relented anyway. She tore her gaze away from him to peer out at the ocean, her eyes fixating on the sparkling surface of the water.

Her golden hair almost seemed to glow against the dusk sky, and Wild was suddenly seized by the image of another little girl, one who reminded him all too much of the one beside him- or, truthfully, it was the other way around.

The memory of a pond surrounded by trees, a flock of sunset fireflies, and big blue eyes full of life and love, flashed in his mind. He became so lost in his own past, he did not notice when Aryll turned back to him with eyes full of worry.

“What is it?”

Wild shook himself from the memory, meeting her gaze again and seeing the concern etched into her face.

“I…” he paused, another unsuccessful attempt to find the right words. “I was just thinking…”

Aryll turned to face him more. “What about?”

For a moment, he was tempted to merely shake his head and separate himself from her, but one look in her eyes kept him glued to his spot.

Aryll’s eyes were filled with a curiosity that he had seen before, in the eyes of the woman he had opened himself to - the one he knew would listen, who had listened many a time.

“You know how I lost my memory?” It was not an ideal conversation starter, but it would get to the point eventually.

Aryll nodded.

“Well, a lot of those memories have come back now.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Really?”

Wild hummed in affirmation. “I remember my life before the castle, my childhood, my family…” He trailed off, taking a breath and mustering up his courage before he continued. “I had a sister.”

Aryll blinked up at him, clearly stunned by this revelation. “A sister… like me?”

Wild chuckled. “I would say so, yes; a lot like you.”

He may as well have told her he was raised by wolves, because the sparkle of astonishment in her eyes told him she was completely floored by his words.

“Was she brave like you?”

Wild released a soft laugh, thinking longingly of the years he could remember of his sister. “Braver than me, actually; much braver.”

Aryll was beaming and bouncing from where she sat, thrilled to hear of Wild’s new memories; but it seemed to be short-lived. A moment later, her smile faded until she seemed almost sad.

Wild would have asked what she was thinking, but he imagined he already knew: Sure, he remembered his sister, and he remembered all the wonderful years they spent together as a family, but there was a bitter-sweetness to it. Even with his regained memory and… certain events that had transpired in the past few years, it was all she would ever be now: a memory. It made his heart ache to think about, but he would not deny it to be true. His sister was gone, and this time, she wasn’t coming back.

“My brother is my best friend,” Aryll said fondly. “Was your sister your best friend?”

Wild’s lip curled into a soft smile. “She was,” he answered thoughtfully. “The best in the world.”

Aryll looked like she wanted to say something more, but she did not speak.

It was Wild’s turn to prod her. “What is it?”

“Nothing… I was just thinking…” Aryll paused, mirroring Wild’s own indecision only moments ago.

Wild waited patiently as she configured her words, gathered her courage.

“Maybe I could be your sister… you know, in her stead.”

Wild’s heart squeezed in his chest. He felt the sudden urge to wrap the young girl in a hug and never let go, but he refrained. The overwhelming sensation in his heart was reminiscent of the last moment he saw his own sister, a moment of closure he never thought he would get. However, he concluded that story ought to be one saved for another day.

“I don’t know; your brother might get jealous.”

Aryll scoffed. “No way! He already sees you like an older brother, so why can’t I?”

Wild might have grown emotional at those words, but he was interrupted by a familiar voice echoing across the sand. He and Aryll both turned in the direction of the disturbance and found Wind jogging down the shoreline, calling out to them and beckoning them back to the house.

Apparently it was time for dinner.


End file.
